Kinases are a large family of enzymes responsible for the control of signal transduction pathways that regulate essential cellular processes in eukaryotic cells. The Plasmodium kinome is highly conserved across the genus but encodes a much smaller number of genes than that of the human kinome (see our Kinases Concise family page for more details of the latter) [1]. Both protein and lipid kinases are essential in signaling pathways during multiple stages of the parasite lifecycle and have emerged as attractive targets for antimalarial drug discovery [2-3].

1. Adderley J, Doerig C. (2022) Comparative analysis of the kinomes of Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax and their host Homo sapiens. BMC Genomics, 23 (1): 237. [PMID:35346035]

2. Arendse LB, Wyllie S, Chibale K, Gilbert IH. (2021) Plasmodium Kinases as Potential Drug Targets for Malaria: Challenges and Opportunities. ACS Infect Dis, 7 (3): 518-534. [PMID:33590753]

3. Cabrera DG, Horatscheck A, Wilson CR, Basarab G, Eyermann CJ, Chibale K. (2018) Plasmodial Kinase Inhibitors: License to Cure?. J Med Chem, 61 (18): 8061-8077. [PMID:29771541]